Translation

Komo to yu mo

Komo to yu mo
Konu toki aru wo
Koji to yu wo
Komu to wa mataji
Koji to yu mono wo


You Say, "I Will Come"

You say, "I will come."

And you do not come.

Now you say, "I will not come."

So I shall expect you.

Have I learned to understand you?

Lady Otomo No Sakanoe (eighth century)Translated from the Japanese by Kenneth Rexroth"You Say 'I Will Come'" by Lady Otomo No Sakanoe from 100 Poems from the Japanese, translated by Kenneth Rexroth. Reprinted with the permission of New Directions Publishing Corporation.
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